Past in Perspective

Pakistan did not have a national airline until a private carrier, Orient Airways, was nationalised and renamed as Pakistan International Airlines in the year 1955. Right from its start, the airline grew to become one of the leading airlines of the world and was held in high regard in the international community. One of the reasons why the airline became so popular was its never been done before in-flight entertainment system which attracted consumers from all over the world. From its start till the 1970s the airline performed well and was in fact among the top 5 airlines of the world, however, its fortunes began to decline mid 1980s and onward. Having been nearly bankrupt by the early 2000s, the airline even today hasn’t managed to recover and instead continues to incur losses of billions of rupees and is also ranked as one of the worst in the world.